Saudi Arabia's largest Quran printing press in Madinah shut as employees strike over delay in salary

The strike has affected the printing of Quran in 39 foreign languages.

October 15, 2015 17:24 IST

All activities at Saudi Arabia's largest Quran printing press has come to a halt since Tuesday after employees went on a strike demanding that their monthly wages be paid on time.

The King Fahd Complex for the printing of the Holy Quran is the single largest Holy Quran printing press in the world.

More than 1,000 workers at the facility, which produces more 20 million copies of Quran annually, are now on an indefinite strike as they claim they have not been paid their monthly wages for the last four months.

According to the Al-Madinah newspaper, several workers including those in the final supervision section are participating in the strike. This has severely affected the printing of the Quran in 39 foreign languages, the daily added.

An employee, who did not want to be named, told the daily that for the past several weeks, the workers have been inquiring with the management, but nobody responded.

Due to the salary issue, about 130 employees have already resigned and sought their final exit visas, he added.

The King Fahd Quran Printing Complex was built by King Fahd in 1984. Spread on a 25-hectare campus, the facility houses dozens of stores and offices related to book production and distribution. Besides, there is also a library, a clinic, several restaurants and a mosque.